Head of Operations - Oil & Gas Upstream Manufacturing

About the Joint Venture

A new joint venture is being formed to establish an advanced manufacturing and remanufacturing facility dedicated to the upstream Oil & Gas sector in Saudi Arabia. This plant will specialize in high-precision CNC machining, welding and fabrication, assembly, remanufacturing, and specialized processing to serve critical upstream applications. The JV supports Saudi Vision 2030 and IKTVA goals, aiming to boost local manufacturing capacities for energy sector clients, OEMs, EPCs, and service providers.

Role Overview

The Head of Operations will oversee overall execution of the manufacturing facility, leading departments such as production, engineering, maintenance, procurement, supply chain, planning, stores, and operational excellence. Reporting directly to the General Manager, this hands-on leadership position requires experience in API-certified manufacturing environments, large-scale CNC machining, welding/fabrication, greenfield plant establishment, and scaling complex operations. The goal is to transform the JV business strategy into efficient, scalable, cost-effective, and customer-approved manufacturing operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct plant-wide operations including production, engineering, maintenance, procurement, supply chain, inventory, and planning functions.
• Convert business plans into actionable production, staffing, capacity, and supply chain schedules to meet cost, delivery, productivity, safety, and quality targets.
• Implement regular performance reviews and build a results-oriented manufacturing culture with accountability.
• Lead greenfield plant setup initiatives encompassing facility layout, machine placement, logistics, utilities, and system installations.
• Support commissioning, testing, and stabilization of CNC machinery and fabrication equipment.
• Develop foundational operational systems such as SOPs, maintenance programs, production monitoring tools, and escalation protocols.
• Ensure compliance readiness for API, ISO, and various audits as well as necessary industrial licensing.
• Manage phased capacity ramp-up aligned with JV business goals from initial production stages to full scale.
• Oversee execution across production areas including CNC machining, welding, assembly, and remanufacturing to maximize equipment and labor utilization while improving throughput and reducing costs.
• Maintain strong shop floor controls, scheduling, and production tracking analytics.
• Lead manufacturing engineering activities related to process planning, CNC programming governance, tool development, cycle time reduction, and process standardization.
• Collaborate with Quality to ensure manufacturing processes conform to API, ISO, and client standards.
• Establish maintenance strategies promoting high asset reliability and operational uptime across plant equipment, including adherence to TPM and other maintenance KPIs.
• Direct supply chain management spanning procurement, supplier development, logistics, inventory, subcontracting, and consumable sourcing.
• Drive cost efficiencies, supplier quality, lead-time reductions, and support localization goals by developing in-country suppliers.
• Ensure production adherence to quality standards with comprehensive documentation, traceability, and zero-defect focus.
• Facilitate communication with customers, OEMs, and partners through audits, capacity reviews, and operational discussions.
• Champion lean manufacturing principles, continuous improvement, and operational excellence programs such as Kaizen, 5S, TPM, SMED, and value stream mapping.
• Build and lead a strong operations team, focusing on talent development and localization aligned with Saudi IKTVA requirements, scaling personnel above 100 staff.
• Foster a culture of ownership, safety, discipline, learning, and performance excellence across the organization.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing or Production Engineering or a related field; Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 18 years in manufacturing operations with deep expertise in precision machining, welding, fabrication, and industrial manufacturing.
• Essential experience in API-certified production environments.
• Strong background in upstream Oil & Gas manufacturing or remanufacturing is highly desirable.
• Proven track record managing large CNC operations (20+ machines) and operations involving welding, assembly, repair, and remanufacturing.
• Experience leading greenfield plants or major capacity expansions.
• Demonstrated ability to manage teams exceeding 100 personnel.
• Comprehensive knowledge of production planning, manufacturing engineering, maintenance programs, procurement, and supply chain management.
• Practical expertise with Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and other operational excellence methodologies.
• Familiarity with the GCC and specifically Saudi manufacturing ecosystems is an advantage.